Washburn residents voice their concerns about police

Wednesday

Aug 31, 2011 at 12:01 AMAug 31, 2011 at 8:00 PM

Village officials didn't say much Tuesday night during a public meeting about recent allegations of brutality by the Washburn Police Department. But virtually all of the 27 people who addressed the meeting spoke with one voice.

Nick Vlahos

Village officials didn't say much Tuesday night during a public meeting about recent allegations of brutality by the Washburn Police Department.

But virtually all of the 27 people who addressed the meeting spoke with one voice.

They said the hospitalization of Metamora resident Kenny Meinders and injuries sustained by Washburn resident Lorin Warnkes after recent altercations with police are the culmination of years of friction between local law enforcement and residents of this community of about 1,200.

"This is the last straw," Washburn resident Marjorie Spangler told Village Attorney Danny Schroeder and the three members of the Village Board's police committee - chairman Larry Roop, Rob Stanfield and Nate Swanson.

"The community has come to you as individuals before. Now we're coming to you as a group. Don't let these men continue to hurt our wonderful small town."

A substantial chunk of this small town - at least 200 people - waited in intermittent rain outside the Village Hall, where the meeting took place. Many of them showed support, in signs and words, for Warnkes and Meinders, who remained in critical condition Tuesday in a Peoria hospital.

The men were involved in separate confrontations Aug. 20 and 21 with Washburn police. The Woodford County State's Attorney and Illinois State Police are among those investigating.

Because of cramped conditions in the Village Hall, anybody who wanted to address the meeting had to register and be led into the building in groups of six. Washburn Mayor David Humphrey stood outside and served as an unofficial traffic coordinator.

Media members were allowed to remain inside the Village Hall for the meeting's length - about 1 hour, 15 minutes. Also present were legal representatives for Meinders and Warnkes.

"We did the best we could with what we had," said Schroeder, who said larger facilities at Lowpoint-Washburn High School were unavailable. "This was as fair as we could get it."

A possible violation of the Illinois Open Meetings Act was a concern of Germantown Hills Trustee Brian Wysocki, who entered the Village Hall before the meeting began but was told to wait outside.

"Absolutely not," Wysocki said when asked if officials in his village would consider a similar meeting procedure. "When we've held special meetings in the past and thought we'd need a larger capacity, we'd move it to the fire station."

Those gathered outside, including Washburn resident Chuck DeBolt, weren't able to hear or see what was going on inside.

"A public meeting should be held in a place big enough to handle anybody who wants to listen," DeBolt said.

Once inside, DeBolt joined the chorus that spoke against the actions of police Chief Craig Rutledge and three part-time officers. Rutledge wasn't present at the meeting.

"The people hiring the Police Department are doing a horrible job," DeBolt said.

The panel received a petition that called for the dismissal of the current Washburn police officers. Other speakers called for the elimination of the entire department.

"The police officers involved totally disrupted and changed our lives," said Stacy Meinders, a sister-in-law of Kenny Meinders. "I don't feel the officers currently on the force are mentally equipped to handle this job.

"It's terrible that this many people came together for this tragedy."

The police committee will make no recommendations until the various investigations are completed, Schroeder said.